The phrase, meaning “excellence”, was coined in the 1920s and has nothing to do with a bee’s pollen basket, yet it seemed a fitting name.   We rely on the excellence of the honey bee in many ways.  They pollinate crops (food), flowers (beauty) and supply us with honey (sweetness itself).

I was working in the yard near our apple tree and noticed the number of bees around.   I then thought about the recent Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) that some bee keepers have been experiencing the last couple of years and decided to create a spring themed piece paying homage to the honey bee, though this piece does take some artistic license with the actual anatomy and coloration of the honey bee.

Through the use of distortion in the lower left petals, I have been able to add a slight amount of additional texture and depth.  This distortion was put in via the quilting and is held in place by thin, tarnish resistant wires slipped into small tubes that are sewn into the facing strips on the back of the quilt.

.E-mail me if you would like more information on this quilt